Costelos
by ershey
Summary: Everybody knew it wasn’t just a simple silly myth made up by the locals to amuse kids and scare the fishermen - but what was different about these islands were the myths were actually true. CC results in.
1. characters

Just so things won't get too confusing, here's a list of who's who and what. ^^ the names without nicknames next to it means that i'll be using their real names instead of their nicknames. i tried my best to match you with what and who you wanted, so i hope you like how it turned out! ^^ (and no, i won't be telling you who's paired with who, you'll just have to wait and see - though some of you are single) hmm, y'know, i just realized that the music that plays during the rooftop scene is pretty inspirational... i need more of those... lol. 

NATIVES (LOWER CLASS) 

Carlos Aguilar - Blink 

Luis Soto - Mush 

Max Vidal – Racetrack 

Lute McDonaghey 

Victoria Stone - Riley 

Liselle O'Reilly 

Emilia Harker - Sparks

Kaitlin Carver 

ELITES (UPPER CLASS) 

Mark Ashbury- Specs 

Adam Lucero- Bumlets 

David Emmett– David 

Luke Emmett– Les 

Kyriel F. Delson 

Corie Leighway

MERMAIDS 

Kathryn Blake

Marie Callan – Irish 

Clarissa Ainsworth – Lady 

Cassandra - Cards 

Audrey 

Brittany 

SPIRITS 

Pablo Maldonado – Itey 

Lawrence Johnson - Snipeshooter 

Brad 

Tyler Anders

Amanda – Whisper 

Danielle Curtis - Ink 

PROWLERS 

Allen Cavanaugh - Snitch 

Francis Sullivan - Jack 

Juan Zamora – Skittery 

Connor Brenin

Ariana Costello – Strider 

Catherine Harrison - Cat

Sage (temporary, just tell me and we'll work it out)

WARRIORS 

Juilo Reyes - Swifty 

Darryl Seymour - Pie Eater 

Kevin Brady - Tumbler 

Shawn Gonzalvo – Spot 

Alianora – Eire 

Kennedy Brady - Rain 

Christine Susie Thompson - Chris 

TEMPTRESS 

Alisa Wood - Alaska 

GODS/GODDESSES 

Alexis Smith 

John Carmichael - Snoddy 

Dylan Callahan - Dutchy 

OTHERS 

Philip Andross – Pulitzer 

Roland Bossworth - Hearst 

Dan Strattman - Kloppman 

Eric Weasley – Weisel 

Adele Strousse - Medda 


	2. temptations

Disclaimer: I own my sock, my rings, my blue watch, and my notebook, but i don't own the newsies. *tear* or any other upcoming OC's appearing in this ff.

A/N: Yes, I am posting this again... just to refresh your little minds. lol. That, and so everything won't be a confusin' jumble with the CC before. (CC RESULTS ARE IN PREVIOUS CHAPTER - changed the whole chap and shout-outs at the bottom!) don't worry, the next chap will come in a few hours - or days, depending on whether or not i can write tonight seeing as how i'm talking to five different people. that, and i'm taking the advantage of the fact that my mom isn't telling me to get off the computer so she can play minesweeper. 

~*~

Los Costelos

Chapter One - Temptations

~*~

Patches of clouds moved against the sky, the wind passing giving a gentle cool breeze as shades of orange and yellow burst throughout, showing the change of course from night to day. The sun was here and everyone would know its glory. Streams of sunlight pierced the sky and landed on the small huts of the inhabitants, giving them the light they needed to make it through the day. Although silence was broken, peace and quiet soared throughout the air as the waves crashed against the rocks and reefs along the beach, making a simple but complex melody made by the ocean. It was another day in the islands of Costelos.

Carlos rubbed his eyes and stared out into the blue ocean that was known as Perlas. He had looked at that ocean for seventeen long years and the stories and myths never cease to amaze him. Although everybody knew it wasn't just a simple silly myth made up by the locals to amuse kids and scare the fishermen. What was different about these islands were the myths were true. And it wasn't strange at all.

"You still lookin' out there, Carlos?" asked a boy with curly dark brown hair, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he tried to picture what his friend had in mind.

Carlos simply nodded, running his hands through his dirty blonde hair and his dark brown eyes still gazed upon the ocean.

"They'll never let you. You know that, right? It's against the law, Carlos. There ain't nothing we can do about it."

"You tend to give up so easily, don't you, Luis?" muttered Carlos.

"I'm not giving up," answered Luis, "just looking at this realistically."

Carlos smirked. Realistically. The word gave off a different meaning the moment you stepped on these islands. How you were supposed to look at things realistically was an interesting task for anybody.

"Did you… did you ever think about what would happen if we actually…"

"How many times do I have to tell you? They're dangerous – and the fishermen around here proved it already. Do you remember what happened to Fernando? He couldn't eat or talk for weeks! Poor man didn't even recognize his own family. He eventually went crazy! Is that what you want to be?"

"He took a risk," said Carlos, shrugging off the amount of evidence that Luis just laid before him. "Who knows what he would've seen, or heard, or… felt."

But Carlos' words stayed to himself as Luis left Carlos to his own views and beliefs on the myths of the island. His thoughts swirled about him, causing him to become more in a trance with the picture before him. How can something so peaceful hold something so dangerous but at the same time be so… tempting?

"Hey! Stop daydreamin' and get ready! The Elites are going to be here any minute! You know how they get when anybody comes late…" came a shout from the doorway.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you," muttered Carlos, taking one last glance at the ocean before getting ready for another day. Little did he know that while the sound of waves echoed in his head, a small pair of beady eyes stared back at him through the layers of ocean that separated the two different worlds.

~*~

**Shout-outs**

Tree: thanks for the suggestion! i couldn't help myself from turning it into a newsies fanfic.. it was tempting me!!! lol. 

Eire: whoot! i just realized that you read the ff when i first asked for suggestions! hahha, thanks! ^^ aren't ya glad you're in my ff? i know you are! hahah! *wink* 

Lil' Italy: *jumps* see? i made it newsieness! hahaha! thanks for readin' my ff when i asked for suggestions. ^^ love ya, dearie! 

Emu: lol, the only reason i went teeny font mode was 'cause i was worried the ff was going to take up so much space in people's inboxes! hahah, i worry like that! its hard to write original shtuff, right? especially when you have your own newsie muses influencing you! my characters were probably going to end up modeled after newsies anyway! lol. 

Sparks: hey! you are my ultimate savior! hahah! *hugs* y'know why? 'cause right when i needed two more characters, you came along and gave me what i needed! hahah! thanks so much for answerin' my CC! 

geometrygal: that was alright that you left your CC in a review, since i didn't give out my email. *nod* i was actually really grateful that you added your email - i was runnin' around lookin' for your email, when i realized that you wrote it down on the bottom. lol. hahah, and i love CC's too! ^^

Cat: wow, y'know, you have really good ideas! especially the one about the blind mermaid? i never would've thought! i hope you like your part! i just thought it fit you so much since your nickname was cat and your description about being a prowler - i luv it. 

Frenchygoil: hahah, yeah, you're right! i couldn't help myself! i was just so excited to have it up and running... and besides, i needed more characters! y'know, if you didn't send in a CC, i was going to ask you to be in it! hahah. lol, and it wasn't a surprise that you wrote mush for your guy! *wink* 

Holly Rose E: aw, thanks for the compliments! *blush* i'm so glad you sent in a character! for some reason my best ideas come during night - mostly sometime during midnight. i just can't seem to think during the morning. lol. 

Inquisitive: free to kill you? maim you? torture you? *evil grin* lol, i'm just joking! ^^ i write out of pure whim, so we'll see what happens with your character! thanks for adding your email or else i wouldn't have gotten the chance of contacting you for more info! tsk, ink's just too smart for me. :P 

Duck: hey! *hugs* i was wonderin' where you ran off to! haha, don't worry, i'm not planning on making the mermaids a disney version. i tweaked them a bit and added my own style. ^^ lol, the other part just made me want to laugh! hey, you know you're still in my 10 dames of xmas ff! hahah! i'll love you so much if you'll at least read the chapter in your POV! i have somethin' great planned for ya! 

Cerridwen: hahah, thanks so much for sending in your other OC's! ^^ i was actually wonderin' whether someone was going to send in a GUY OC. lol. hope to see ya online, mmk? ^^ 

Matchin' Laces: since you said you didn't really care which part you got, i hope you liked what you got - erm, that didn't make sense did it? hahah. point is, i can imagine your character playing her. *nod* 

klover: ^^ thanks for answerin' my CC and email! 'twas so glad! *deepens voice and moves into serious mode* i have big plans for you, my child... *lol* 

Strider: wow, haven't heard from ya in a while! *nod* yes, fantasy is uber-kewl. hahha, and you're in my ff again! and i'm in YOUR ff! lol. i love that movie - the underworld. its just so damn kewl. *pause* now, i want the dvd. lol. i can't wait to see your ff when it comes out! ^^ 

Riley: *takes crumpled newspaper* ooh! ^^ thanks so much for replyin' back! i wasn't actually lookin' for something specific, just really different characters that blended together - which i got! 

Eire: hmm, i really like your character - i needed a bit of those instead of happy-go-lucky people that i see so often. *nod* hope ya like being a warrior, being all tough-like! lol. 

Lady: what i meant by quirks was habits or things that you do often. *nod* if anything comes to mind, just tell me in a review, mmk? also, thanks for answerin' my CC! ^^ you're the greatest! 

Whisper: lol, right when i saw your nickname, i thought - SPIRIT! hahahh. it was just too perfect. thanks for sendin' in your character! ^^

Cards: psh, of course i'm gonna use you! lol. ooh, and what i meant by quirks were habits - so if anything comes to mind, just tell me, alrighty? oh, and if you can tell me more about the silver locket, that'd be great. ^^

Lute: bell just rang? were ya at school or somethin' when you were filling this out? hahah, i do that sometimes - check my email and shtuff, but the bad thing about it is, the school records what you do - which is a bummer. :P when ljs and xangas suddenly became popular, everybody checked it out at the library - then a month later, the upper school head talked about the dangers of having one. lol. :P but anyways, thanks so much for answerin' my CC! 

Audrey: thanks for sendin' in your character! y'know, she sounds a bit like one of my friends... just can't put my finger on it. anyways, luv ya lots! ^^ 

Striker: hahah, that's right, i got the idea from myth! well, only the temptress part. *nod* well, drr, 'cause you saw me write it down in my notebook. lol. 

Rain: my first character! hahah, i was so excited when you answered my CC! y'know, you were the first one! ^^ thanks so much for answerin' it! i hope ya like your character, i could really imagine you being one! ooh, you're gonna have to explain to me how close you and tumbler are, being brother and sister. *nod* i need a bit of that too. ack, i know i should've asked before, but i can be forgetful! 


	3. ambassador

*squeal* crush is so funny... lol! erm, watching finding nemo. *nod* riding the east australian current with crush looks like SO much fun.... *ahem* sorry, on with the ff! ^^ i'm ain't that perfect in speaking spanish.... so if the spanish there is a little bit, er, messed up, bear with me! lol. besides, its only one line. :P

~*~

The Ambassador

~*~

The Ambassador glided through the crystal clear water, its sails moving with the wind, giving them the extra push to get to their destination. It wasn't peculiar to have the Ambassador give the monthly trips for the Elites, with its carefully carved designs that lined the ship, its magnificent mast and sails that towered over the crew, and its ability to move quickly from one place to another. It was as though the Ambassador was made for this one task only. 

Every end of the month, the Ambassador would be made ready, the rooms and deck polished clean and the crew specifically hand picked from the best in the city to make its voyage to Costelos. But Costelos wasn't a normal island, for far fewer people knew about it than they would any other country. It was an island that couldn't stand on its own. The thriving countries needed it and the natives of Costelos needed them too. Without each other, neither could live. 

But this time, instead of gentlemen, scientists, and scholars that usually filled the boat, a new group stepped in. Kids. Through pure bewilderment and utter shock, the next few trips were to be made by children either that either volunteered freely or were handpicked by the heads of government. Although everybody knew the dangers to this, the project still pushed on. Their task was to enjoy the scenery, have fun, and just let their souls free as the crew members of the ship did their jobs to obtain the goods they needed from the island – though they didn't expect to see something much more. 

"Oh, geez, Dave, that's nasty – what'd you eat?" asked Adam, his jet black hair billowing against the wind as he looked down at the ocean and gave a disgusted face to the various contents that spilled down on the water. 

David blinked, his blue eyes watery and his throat sore from the pain. His hands gripped the railings of the ship and his body leaned over, causing the occasional spray of water to land on his face. 

"Isn't this fun, Davey? I've never ridden a ship before! And this is the Ambassador!" came a shout not too far away, as a boy the age of ten came jogging over to where David and Adam were standing. 

"I don't think he's going to want to talk back – unless you want to see a previous replay of lunch. Vomit style," taunted Adam. 

"Really?!" answered Luke, his eyes widening with amazement as he quickly leaned on the railing, stood next to David, and pushed his face into his. "I never knew ships were this much fun! They just go up and down and up and down and up and down…" continued Luke, emphasizing his words as he moved his head up and down. 

"LUKE!" croaked David as he looked threateningly at his brother, his face still flushed from the movement of the ship while the curls of his hair stood to an end. 

"I like that kid," muttered Adam. 

"No, no, you don't understand!" shouted a girl of fifteen, her wavy blonde hair flailing about her as she shook her head at the confused crew member of the ship. 

_"Si, si, pero no puedes cambiar le! Comprende, senorita Corie?" _answered the crew member quickly in fluent Spanish. His sparkling clean white uniform gave his cheeks a much more shade of red, showing off his irritation towards Corie. 

Silence ruled for a few minutes while Corie started back at the crew member with utter confusion, her brows knitted together and her midnight blue eyes clouding over from the misunderstanding that occurred between the two of them. Then as quickly as Adam could snap his fingers, Corie turned back to the crew member and shook her head in annoyance. 

"What do I have to do to tell you that I have bed the size of a rock?!" shouted Corie. 

"You can try hitting him on the head with it," replied Adam teasingly. 

Corie rolled her eyes and walked over to where the group was standing, leaving the crew member in a much bigger state of confusion than he was before. 

"Don't you dare say anything," taunted Corie, pointing her finger at Adam. "You know, I think I got my room mixed up with someone… hey, what's wrong with him?" 

"Poor kid. He just can't handle it – meaning, the movement – up and down, up and down, up and down, up and--." 

"NOT… HELPING…" shouted David, his head hung over the railings as he stared out into the sea. "I have no idea why I even agreed to go on this…" 

"Here, Davey, drink some water… Mark even brought you a book to read!" chirped Kyriel, walking over to David, a glass of water in her hand and her arms linked with a boy that she dragged along with her. A pair of glasses perched on his nose and a look of utter annoyance and boredom spread on his face, giving him the absolute impression that he wanted to be in some other place right at that time. 

"More like Kyriel forced me to bring one…" mumbled Mark. 

"Same thing," answered Kyriel, still not letting go of Mark as she poked David on the shoulder and handed him the glass of water. "Here. Drink." 

"No. Enough. Water." 

"It. Helps." 

"Can you let go now?" muttered Mark once again as he tried to wiggle out of Kyriel's grip. 

"Sure, if you don't act all grumpy!" 

"Like that's going to help now…" 

"Aw, is poor Mark grumpy wumpy?" cooed Corie, walking over to Mark and patting his face teasingly. 

"I swear, all the blame's going to my father when I get back. Three days. Three days and we're gone – back home." 

"What's your father got to do with all of this?" asked Adam curiously. "As far as I know, this was a volunteer thing. Well, for the most part." 

"Volunteer?" shouted David. "Geez, I was picked to be on this damn ship! Me and my brother both!" 

"Sounds like the government did a little nit-picking, eh?" said Kyriel, finally letting go of Mark, too interested in the conversation. "I signed up – volunteer, if that's what you mean. I just thought that it was about time that teenagers could finally get the chance to do things! Really, you'd think we couldn't do anything!" 

Hearing the jumble of voices, Luke stopped gazing out into the sea and stood next to Corie. Curiously, he tugged on her shirt and asked, "Did someone make YOU go on the ship?" 

"Not really… I guess you can say, I just joined for the heck of it," answered Corie enthusiastically. 

"For the heck of it? Out of all the millions of kids that applied and you were accepted?" blurted Adam. 

"How can I resist? It offered a trip to an unknown island with a free ride and all the other things that came along with it! I just thought it was so exciting!" 

"Can't argue with that," said Kyriel, turning her gaze over to the ocean. "Hey, look! There it is! Costelos!" 

Each and very member of the group turned their attention to the tiny island that Kyriel's finger directed at. A small speck of green and brown stood out from the surrounding blue and white. With each minute, the speck grew nearer and nearer – specks of much smaller boats and ships dotted the beach and a crowd of people could be seen gathered around an opening space where the boat was meant to be docked. Thousands of hands were waving in the air as they waited for the ship to arrive. 

Corie, Kyriel, Mark, Adam, Les, and even David stood mesmerized with the picture before them. Smiles spread to their faces, realizing that they were finally there. A trip that took only a few hours seemed to waste away as they saw the island, put the arms in the air, and waved back happily at the natives. 

~*~ 

A flash of auburn, green, and pearl shimmered through the surface of water as Kathryn glided through the water, her emerald eyes glowing with determination. The waves of crashed against the rocks and corals that surrounded the island, but Kathryn couldn't be stopped. She gasped for air as she let her face pop out of the water, her eyes looking for her companions and keeping her eye on the Ambassador at the same time. 

"Hey, Kathryn! Over here!" came a shout from the cluster of rocks and waves. "What's the hurry?" 

A smile spread throughout Kathryn's face and her eyes danced with delight. Even though Brittany wasn't one of the most mischievous and impish mermaids out of the bunch, it was still someone that she could spill the news to. The Ambassador was here and it brought along a different bunch of Elites. 

"I bet you she's spotted the Ambassador – that, and looking at the poor native again," chirped in Cassandra, leaning on the rocks, her long brown hair fell past her shoulders and dipped down into the water, her tanned skin glowing from the days that she had spent in the sun, and her silver eyes that watched Kathryn with great curiosity. 

"What's with the Ambassador? There's really nothing new about it," said Lady, perched upon a rock next to Brittany. With the two next to each other, thousands of colors erupted out of the blue of the ocean. Lady's shining gold hair, the color of her fins a combination of pink and gold, and her eyes a dazzling gold gave her the extra shine that she didn't even need while Brittany perfectly matched the ocean, with her purple-blue colored hair, a deep color of amethyst in her eyes, with green and amethyst colored scales. 

Mermaids were known to be extraordinary and unreal. They weren't human after all. They were allowed to boast their beauty with the colors that they had obtained. Although they seemed utterly beautiful and heavenly, mermaids weren't the nicest creatures of all. 

"That's where you're wrong, Lady," said Kathryn, her head popping out of the surface of the water once again as she bobbed up and down upon the water. "Remember the bunch of oldies that the Ambassador usually has when it comes here every month?" 

"We've been through this, Kathryn – they're boring, they're old, and they're lazy. They're absolutely no fun at all." 

"Ah-ha, but you see, I saw the Ambassador coming in and I didn't see the usual group – they were – you know, our age!" 

"Our age?!" said Audrey, her hazel eyes shining with curiosity. "You sure you got that right?" 

"You know, like those natives!" 

"Oh, you mean, Carlos?" said Cassandra teasingly. 

"Yeah – but, you see," pushed on Kathryn. "They're _new_…" 

"Which is why we're not just going to sit here and watch it pass by," came a voice from beneath the rocks. A slow glint of electric blue bounced off the dull brown of the rocks as a mermaid swam over toward the group until a pair of ice gray eyes stared back at them, glinting with sneakiness and roguish behavior. 

"So, Irish, its really true?" asked Brittany. 

"Let's get on with it – we're going to have some fun today, ladies," answered Irish, an evil grin creeping towards her face as the Ambassador sailed nearer and nearer to Costelos. 

~*~

**Shout-outs**

Lady: thanks! ^^ *points* lookie, its you! lol. hope i portrayed ya alright! 

Strider: y'welcome! yeah, underworld's one of my favorite movies now - i want to watch that again. vampires are just so damn kewl. 

FrenchyGoil: hahah, don't ya feel special? i know ya do. *wink* lol. hahah yeah, you got it right! rocks my socks! you'll be a great english speaker and writer in no time! hahah, nope, i'm not sick anymore! ^^ ooh! chocolate! hm... let's just say that you will be very satisfied with who you're paired with. *nod* 

Matchin' Laces: aw, you just gotta love surprises. ^^ 

klover: i actually have an account on fictionpress.com - i put stuff up there once in a while when i don't write my newsies stuff, but there's really nothng much. just ramblin' for me. :P go ahead and check it out if you still wanna - my username's ershey. i never really written a full length orig story, but maybe i'll do that during summer. hahah, did i scare you a bit there? lmao! hahahh! y'know, i think that's true - about witching hours - i love me musies.

Written Sparks: haha, you were just in time too! ^^ yeah, i hate it when people do that - but don't worry, i'm gonna try my best to fit everyone in! er, i mean, OF COURSE everybody will be in it! lol. 

JustDuck: i hope its alright that i used your full name. *nod* does that work? haha, you know, i just realized that i don't really like racetrack's real name. :P ack, but its too late. haha, that's alright. I FORGIVE YOU! *hugs* i just thought you disappeared or somethin'! i was REALLY overwhelmed when i saw all of those reviews come in for 10dames! love ya lots! 


	4. arrival

~*~

The Arrival

~*~

Connor groaned, his hands placed under his head and his body curled up contently from the night's sleep. A chill moved up his spine as he felt the cold breeze gave an occasional whistle, alerting him that it was another morning. Although Costelos was a pleasurable island, free from the dangers of the world, Connor couldn't help but argue that the weather was unbearable. Sure, it looked sunny and warm from the outside, but the early mornings brought in cold windy breezes that anybody couldn't even imagine. 

"You've been taking again from the loot, haven't you?" roared a voice in the background, breaking the silence. 

They were already up. 

Connor winced, his eyes still not fully open, but his hearing was still quite sharp. It was something that he truly hated – his hearing. It could be a blessing at times, but hearing everything that came out of anybody's mouth can be a curse at times. 

"It was nothing, Francis!" shouted a female voice. 

A gust of wind blew once again, the leaves of the surrounding trees rustling about them. Dawn was breaking and it was getting even colder. Although the forest had the ability to cover and hide almost anything within its reach, the group was still able to find a dwelling for themselves only they can find and reach. 

Finally realizing the commotion about him, Connor strained to open his eyes and stand on his haunches to see what was going on. His eyes finally found Sage, her green eyes burning with fury and her long curly auburn hair that fell past her shoulders. Her height loomed above everybody, giving her a bit of authority that she needed. It didn't take him long to figure out that she was the one who retorted at the previous voice. He could feel the tension slowly rise, no doubt she was mad at somebody. Her face expressed anger and annoyance, something that he rarely saw. 

"Nothing?!" spat Francis, strands of his dark brown hair edged about the corners of his eyes, edging closer towards Sage. "He practically took a fourth of what we saved! What are we supposed to eat now, huh?" 

"Honey, you are nothing but an animal," answered Sage calmly. "I can bring you down and I'll do it again. Besides, a fourth of the loot to you is practically a pinch!" 

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted when a loud bark erupted in the air. Connor and the other two turned their attention to where their ears led them, where a dog growled at the pair. Its dark brown colored coat seemed even more polished from the sunlight now bearing down upon them and a pair of amber colored eyes bored at Sage and Francis. 

Connor snorted at the scene; upset and tired by the fact that Francis had found something to pick on again. It wasn't extraordinary to find him bickering – especially with Sage. Their supposed history was to blame for that. 

He closed his eyes, pressing his eyelids down tightly. Even though he had been doing this for more than a year, the amount of pain that came with transforming still cut through his body. He groaned, feeling his two legs shrink beneath him while the other two stretched out. His bones and tanned skin extended out like jelly, giving the impression of a painless transformation. His brown fur coat disappeared with every second, replaced with a tuft of short black hair on top of his head. He groaned from the pain and his eyes widened, causing his vision to blur. Minutes later, he could finally sense the feeling in his hands, feet, and body that he did not have before. 

He shifted. 

"Just another happy morning, eh?" said Connor, a hand placed over his stomach, shielding it from the pain. 

"You never fail to be sarcastic even though you seem to be in pain from shifting. You'd think that you'd be used to it by now," said Sage, ignoring Francis and turning her gaze towards Connor. 

"Can't say I was a prowler, forever, now can I?" answered Connor, raising his eyebrow. "Now, what about the loot?" 

"Cavenaugh, here, took – no, ATE, a load of what we just gathered two days ago!" shouted Francis angrily, turning his heel towards Connor and pointing his finger suspiciously at the growling dog. 

Connor shrugged, looking back and forth between Francis and the dog. "Doesn't matter. We have enough. He can eat what he wants." 

"See?" shouted Sage. "I told you!" 

"I'm protecting us from dying! Don't you understand that?" 

Sage opened her mouth to answer, but was suddenly interrupted when she saw the so-called dog slowly shift into a different form. The brown colored dog growling at them on its four paws just seconds ago now had legs and feet – the likeness of a human. She watched him slowly creep up towards Francis and tap his shoulder, an act that made him look juvenile for just a moment. 

"You know me long enough to call me Allen instead of Cavenaugh, don't you Sullivan?" muttered Allen menacingly. 

Connor saw Francis' sudden change of emotion. He had just figured out that Allen had shifted. That's what Connor loved about being a prowler – the ability to change from human to animal as you wish. It wasn't something that could be done easily. He remembered the pain on his back and legs from shifting when he first became a prowler. But the fact is, being a prowler is being different from society. And society wasn't always accepting. 

"I know you well enough to eat what we have," said Francis, turning around to face Allen. 

"You're ever so trusting, Francis. That's what I love about you." 

"We could die, Cavenaugh! We can't stay animals for a long time – you know that! Your form will practically eat away at you and you'll never be able to -." 

"You think I don't know that?!" bellowed Allen. 

"Why else would you be constantly changing into a human than a prowler?" taunted Francis. 

"Francis!" shouted Sage, pushing him ever so slightly to bring him back to his senses. "Why do you do this? Pin things on Allen! You never even bother asking the others about…" 

"Hey! Hey! Don't look at me!" said Connor, throwing his hands in the air and shaking it in front of him. "I didn't do anything! I was just _peacefully_ sleeping…" 

Hearing voices about her, Cat cracked an eye open, unknown to the situation at hand. Still in her panther form, Cat stayed in her spot and watched the scene unfold before her. The group had been oblivious to the fact that Cat was awake, too caught up in their world. But one thing made her throat dry – Juan was gone. Her eyes scanned the ground to see a sleeping figure of a dog or human, but there was nothing to be found, except for Maylee, still sleeping and present in her wolf form. They were all there, except for one. Cat couldn't hide the fact that Juan was keeping something from her – from the prowlers. 

The fighting continued, but Cat was lost in her own world. Her senses suddenly focused, her eyes much more sharper, her ears much more alert, and her nose ready to pick up anything on the way. Cat sniffed the air once more, making sure of what she was sensing. Her thoughts swirled about her as a sudden thought struck her mind. 

"Blood." 

~*~ 

"Just think of it as exercise, y'know? Wave to the left! Wave to the right!" said Max as he waved his hand back and forth in a constant rhythm. 

"Erm, Max… we're supposed to be _welcoming_, not exercising," muttered Riley. Even though her height may make her seem as if she can overpower anything, she was feminine in almost everyway. Her bright blue eyes, long black hair, slightly tan skin, and flawless smile made her one of the most well-loved and admired girls on the island of Costelos. Interestingly enough, Riley preferred to play a role – somebody different from what she was – other than being herself, making her a tough girl to follow. 

Kaitlin rolled her eyes at the two, Max still doing his rhythmic waving, and said, "We're supposed to be lively anyway, aren't we?" 

"Sure, after we've done this a hundred times," said Sparks, giving her arms a break and shielding her eyes from the sun. "Why can't we just give them a fiesta instead of standing out here and waving at them for hours on end?" 

"Because they're the _elites_," muttered Luis, his hand still waving in the air. "They're from… out there. Where we can't go." 

"That's a rock solid foundation," said Lute sarcastically. "Just 'cause they live _out there_ doesn't mean we have to suffer every month from this!" 

"True. Besides, I still have to get home and start cooking for tonight," exclaimed Liselle, arching her back from the pain. "I'm sore – and its only morning!" 

Luis watched the ship slowly come to view. It never ceased to impress them with its presence. Every month it would arrive at Costelos and every month the natives of Costelos would always be there to await its arrival, ready to greet them and welcome them to their beloved island. It was something they were required to do – something that you couldn't get out of. The spirits that dwelled on the island tend to remind the natives, usually bother, since they were a straight source from the gods. It was hard to escape it, especially when you have powerful creatures watching you. 

Luis waited for the ship to finally dock to shore, seeing as it was only miles from where it was standing. The sails fluttered and its carvings gleamed from the sun, giving it a much god-like presence. Luis stared out into the ocean, where a sudden shimmer caught his eye. He blinked and strained his eyes, only to see it again. He looked around to see Carlos, who seemed to be seeing the exact same thing. They exchanged glances and looked back out into the ocean, waiting to see what the shimmer came from. 

Suddenly, a great groan came from the ship. Luis' eyes widened as he saw the ship slowly descend into water. Not quickly like a rock would, but ever so slowly. He squinted once more, seeing even more numerous colors of shimmer in the water. Green, auburn, pink, gold, and bright blue bounced off the surface of the water. It didn't take long for him to see the heads of the mermaids looking upon the Ambassador. 

Everybody else in the crowd was caught up in the action before them, losing sense of their purpose there on the beach. Nobody was waving their hands anymore, even Max was watching intently, curious to see what was going to happen. Arrival of the Ambassador was always smooth and perfect, not like this. 

Even though the Ambassador still pushed on with its journey, not too far from the docks, the natives could see that water was filling up quickly within the ship. The crew held on, working on the ship, pulling ropes and fixing sails even though they could see their effort was no use. 

"What… why are they jumping?! They shouldn't…" mumbled Liselle, her eyes still on the ship. 

Silhouettes of the crew and passengers of the ship could be seen jumping towards the water, the only choice they have from surviving. The Ambassador neared closer and closer – both advancing and sinking beneath the ocean. The natives could see the Ambassador fight to survive, but lose quickly as it disappeared from the surface. 

The natives looked about them, torn from the scene, suddenly hearing a sudden whistle echo in the air. They looked about in confusion, unable to decide what was happening. But Kaitlin kept her eyes on the ocean, shocked from what had just happened. She looked down on the waves rolling beneath her feet, suddenly seeing a boy about her age, dragging a boy about ten and another boy that seemed to be the same age. Her eyes widened as she watched the boy struggle with his step. She stayed rooted to the spot as she watched him fall limply on the shore, along with the two other boys. 

Kaitlin took in a deep breath, looked about, and shouted, "HELP!" 

~*~

I wrote this right before i went to sleep - 11 at night - and i haven't done any editing, so excuse me if there's anything wrong with it. :P Just quick SOs and thank-you's to eire, socks, sparks, cards, matchin' laces, justduck, frenchygoil, inquisitive, irish rain, sheengale, geometrygal, and strider! *hugs to everyone!* 


	5. broken trance

hallo! i know it took a while, but here it is! remember connor? the prowler? yes, well, he's cerridwen's character (thanks so much!) and since he is an OC, i'll be asking all of you girls who would be interested in him - either as a friend or more. yes, some of you are already paired and some ARE still single. so just tell me, and i'll work out what i have. 

*jumps up and down* be happy for me! y'know why?! 'cause i'm going to the valentines ball with my crush! hahah! *grin* all is right with the world... eh, for now... *thinks happy thoughts* 

~*~

Broken Trance 

~*~

"I don't know why you have to drag me into this," muttered Strider, her blue-green eyes still a shade of red from shifting and sleeping only a few minutes ago. "It's too early in the morning!" 

"Don't tell me you didn't hear that sound a while ago!" answered Juan, as he ducked to cover another tree branch. 

"I did… but I just went back to sleep." 

Juan rolled his eyes and continued on with his searching. He was determined to find out what was the source of the mysterious sound that he had heard this early morning. Being the person, or prowler, that he was, Juan made the habit of sneaking off into places unknown to others – away from the prowlers. Not only that, but he couldn't hardly notice the sound when he was usually the first person to awake from the group. 

"Juan, this is taking forever – can't we just go back?" said Strider, poking Juan on the shoulder. "I really want to go back to sleep… and if I don't, I won't have energy all day, which means – Francis will be on my case on why I won't be able to keep up with-." 

"Look." 

Strider turned her eyes to where Juan was pointing. His finger motioned towards the blue ocean, where a small dot of white loomed above the rest. 

"What? That?!" 

"Yeah…" 

"It's just the ship that… it brings people or something… nothing important about it," said Strider, shrugging off Juan's remarks. 

"It's sinking." 

"Good for it then." 

Juan sighed. His eyes stayed fixed on the figure of the ship, its outline slowly disappearing from the ocean until it was lost completely. It didn't take him long to notice the colorful shimmers that surrounded the ship. They too, slowly disappeared, the ocean turning once again into a deep blue, seeming as if nothing had happened. But Juan squinted his eyes and looked out at the ocean, curiosity gripping within him. A wave of colors caught his eyes at a cluster of rocks not too far away from the beach. Mermaids. 

He didn't know whether to run or stay. But his curiosity got the best of him. Nobody had told the prowlers about the mermaids' characteristics. To them, they were just another group or clan that lived on the island. They didn't bother to question it. It wasn't their business. 

"Juan, where are you going?" said Strider, following Juan towards the beach. "It's just a silly ship that sank. Great. It's not going to affect us." 

He took a step forward, moving closer to the beach. Prowlers usually took caution when moving on to places resided by natives, but Costelos was a huge island – and there were thousands of beaches around, beaches that were unoccupied. 

He felt the sand beneath his toes and the salty water sprinkle his face as his thoughts swirled about him. Hesitantly, he took another step forward, but soon realized that his foot had hit something rock solid. He was incapable of moving and he didn't know why. 

His eyes looked down to see what was blocking to see his way. Expecting to see a rock, seaweed, or even a rotten tree log, but Juan was greeted with something else. A mass of long curly dark brown hair covered the creature's face, her body turned over to the side. Juan's eyes traveled down her body, her arms were scattered with bloody scratches and gashes that seemed to contrast with her pale skin. He couldn't help but gasp and stare as he tried to look for her legs – but was instead greeted by a flash of orange that came from the creature's scales and fin. Unbelievable. A mermaid up close. 

"Is that… what I think it is?" said Strider, walking up next to Juan. 

Juan opened his mouth to answer, but closed it when a groan erupted from the mermaid, her hands moving ever so slowly from the pain in an attempt to stand up and move the heap of hair away from her face. She blinked, shielding her hazel eyes from the brightness of the sun as she gasped and found the two before her. 

"We… we didn't do anything… Irish, she…" muttered the mermaid. 

"Did this have anything to do with the ship sinking?" said Juan, finally finding his voice as he knelt down next to her. 

"Juan!" muttered Strider through gritted teeth. "She's a mermaid! Don't you see? She might…" 

"I might what?" spat the mermaid. "Suffocate you to death if I touch you?" 

"Look, I don't care about any of those silly myths that they-." 

"Really? I think you just contradicted yourself." 

"Look – being a prowler is hard enough and I bet -." 

"Hold on!" shouted Juan, confused from all the commotion. He then turned towards the mermaid and said, "Do you remember anything… how you got here?" 

"I remember everything perfectly clear," retorted the mermaid with hatred at Juan. "Now, if you'll please let me back in the water…" 

Juan, completely taken aback from the mermaid's comment, stared at her for a minute. He could sense that something was wrong. Being a prowler gives you special talents and sensing things were one of them. He looked into her eyes and saw them cloud over. Something was hidden and he couldn't find out why. 

"Can't we just leave you here to dry?" said Strider with mock-enthusiasm. "She'd be a good addition to the loot." 

The mermaid's eyes widened, her hands turned chilly and cold, the nails at the tip of her fingers stretched to a point where a scratch could be an easy way to kill, and her orange scales turned into a deep red. A loud shriek escaped her mouth as she lunged forward in an attempt to scratch and grab Strider's leg. 

But Strider moved back effortlessly, as she quickly changed into her prowler form, a wolf. Her blond coat glistened against the sunshine and her blue green eyes stared back at the mermaid with hatred and fury. Numerous barks and growls escaped from Strider, baring her weapons, deadly sharp white teeth. 

"Strider!" 

"Prowlers…" muttered the mermaid softly, her image turning back to what she was before. "You aren't natives." 

"Now if you and Strider hadn't started bickering…" but Juan stopped suddenly, realizing that the mermaid can easily unleash the deadly personality he had just seen. 

"Put me back in the water," demanded the mermaid. "Please." 

Strider moved back even more, and growled at the mermaid. 

"Why should I?" 

The mermaid sighed and looked up at Juan hopefully. "Being a mermaid isn't that easy – but it's all I have. It's that or nothing." 

Hesitantly, Juan picked her up, making sure not to anger her, afraid of another transformation. He waded into the water, and finally when he was knee deep, he slowly let her down upon the salty water. 

"We're more similar than you think," mumbled Juan, as he watched her disappear down into the depths of the water, leaving only a trace of orange shimmer from where he was standing. 

~*~ 

He felt the sand between his fingers and the roughness of the sand against his body as he lay on the beach, the waves hitting his feet every now and then. His energy had fled from him and he was nowhere near willing to get up and walk. His eyes had stung from the salty water and his muscles ached from the swim to shore. His mind was a whirl as he tried to remember what had happened. The ship sinking and swirls of colors. It was just too much to handle at the time. 

Adam groaned, feeling a sharp object poking his back. He turned to side, squinting from the brightness of the sun, in an effort to see what was before him. He sighed, making up his mind that it was just probably some loose animal and collapsed back on the beach. 

"He's alive, that's for sure," said Rain, a girl with waist length blonde hair and bright blue eyes. 

"Should we take him?" asked Darryl Seymour, running his hand through his unkempt hair. "He looks really sad just lying here and all, but just think of what Shawn would say." 

"We can't just leave him here – he can be one of us." 

"Him?!" exclaimed Julio, pointing at the limp figure before him. "Do you think Shawn would even _consider_ turning _him_ into a warrior? We don't even know what he is! For all I know, he could probably be a prowler and turn on us! If not, then a native – then go back running to the village just to shun us once again from society!" 

"Shun… good word, Julio," said Darryl, nodding towards him in amusement. 

"I say we bring him back." 

"Back where? To the village for all of them to see? We're _warriors_… not their servants They've done enough damage-." 

"But what if he's not? He could be an elite…" muttered Rain, pressing on the issue. 

"That's even worse!" 

"Julio! Why do you have to keep on looking at the bad side of things?!" 

"What can I say? I'm a pessimist!" 

Rain rolled her eyes at Julio and groaned. She looked at the body before her. She concluded that the boy had an Asian descent, because of his silky black hair. He laid on the sand, back facing towards them, unable for them to make out other features. Rain sighed, knelt down on the figure, and hastily picked him up with her hands. She felt every muscle in her body jolt from the weight brought down upon the person, but she carried on. After a few staggering steps, Rain stood in front of Julio and Darryl the boy in her arms. 

"Now we know that you can carry a man – great job, Rain. Let's just go back to being the lookout, alright?" 

"Geez, Rain, I didn't know you were _that_ strong!" exclaimed Swifty in shock. 

Instead of replying to the two, Rain stood there, looking at her two companions, waiting for them to budge. She knew it would be any moment now. 

"The things we do for you… really…" muttered Darryl as he stepped forward and took the boy from her arms. He groaned as he easily lifted him up and carried him on his shoulders. 

"_We?_" 

"Yes, we," said Rain with confidence, a smile playing on her lips. 

"I swear – if Shawn blows his guts out on us for doing this, I'm saying it was your fault!" 

Adam groaned as he felt himself being picked up and moved around. He kept his eyes closed, still not used from the brightness of the sun. Every muscle in his body ached with pain and the amount of throbbing going on in his head didn't help either. Even though his hearing was still a bit faulty, he could still carry out bits and pieces of the conversation. He didn't who or what they were. But the sure thing was, they were willing to help him. Or at least one of them was. He had no choice but to let them take him. 

~*~ 

Max walked out of the infirmary, wiped his forehead with his hand and sighed. It had been a long day, that was for sure. Both for the natives and the elites. Nobody thought that the Ambassador was going to sink down into the ocean. They didn't think that the mermaids could do enough damage to cause that. But they obviously did. Thoughts swirled around his head as he took in a moment's peace from the on-going commotion before. 

What Kaitlin found on the beach was surprising, but what was intriguing, was that the elites survived. People scrambling on the beach, natives running here and there, and pieces of the ship floated about the ocean. With all their strength, they had carried the three to the nearest house that they could find. Minutes later, another elite was found; this time it was a girl. 

Through effort, strength, and determination, the four elites were finally placed into the infirmary. A temporarily safe place for them. Max wouldn't be surprised if the elites woke up confused as ever – it was a miracle that they had even survived. But the point was that there were only four – there were always more than four. Four elites was just too little a number. 

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to bed? You've taken quite a…" 

"No, I'm fine." 

The door to the infirmary opened, causing Max to quickly turn around to face Lute and one of the elites, the girl. Unaware of what to say, Max nodded at her and gave a smile, afraid of what might happen. Older, much older, elites were usually sent to Costelos. It was known that if they weren't treated with respect, or act as if they were the gods of the earth, there was punishment to be dealt with. 

"Is this all of us?" asked the girl. "There still more of us… there _out there_! Shouldn't someone go get help and look for them? We can't just leave them!" 

Pain and fear was written all over the girl's face. No doubt she would be looking for the others. They knew this was going to come up sooner or later. 

"You were all that we found," answered Max simply. "No one else." 

"But…" 

"We'll figure that out later," cooed Lute. "When the others are awake. For now, food's coming…" 

Liselle trudged up the steps of the infirmary, her straight long her bouncing up and down from her quick steps and her blue eyes twinkled with delight. In her arm was a basket, filled with food nonetheless, covered with a small white napkin. 

"Hello, the name's Liselle. Welcome to Costelos." 

"Hi… my name's Corie Leighway. The others in there are David and his brother, Luke. The one with glasses is Mark." 

Corie turned her eyes towards the two other strangers that she had seen earlier that morning, waiting for their introductions to come. 

"Erm, Max. Lute's the one that's helping you right now." 

Corie simply nodded, her thoughts still clouded from the events that had happened that day. A thought struck in her mind as she stared out into the ocean – she could've died. Although her body was still in pain, her memory was intact. She remembered slowly sinking down into the deep blue water, not being able to breathe. But someone, something, took her and helped her. More likely, saved her. She didn't know how she had gotten to shore – the natives thought she was washed up and fought for her survival. But to her knowledge, she had nothing. 

She pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind as she suddenly saw a figure walking on the beach. A girl, by the looks of it, the same age as her. Her shoulder length black hair was tousled and unkempt, the wind moving it here and there. But what Corie noticed was that it was _wet_. 

Corie let out a gasp as she noticed who it was. Kyriel. 

She willed herself to walk down the steps of the infirmary and onto the beach, the three natives following her. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, realizing that something was different. The atmosphere around Kyriel wasn't the same. She was usually loud and talkative at times, a bit cynical, but always the life of the party. Her black eyes looked clouded over, her eyes open wide as she took one step at a time. Her pale skin glowed even brighter in contrast to her hair and her eyes. This wasn't Kyriel. Sure, it was the same face, the same hair, the same skin, but the soul was different. Horrifyingly different. 

"Who is she? Another Elite?" asked Liselle in concern. 

Corie dumbly nodded as she watched Kyriel move forward, and said, "Yes… and no." 

"There's something wrong, isn't there?" asked Max. "She doesn't even _act_ or _look_ human." 

"It's Kyriel… but… not the same…" 

Only inches away from her face, Kyriel looked at Corie briefly, and then turned her gaze at the natives, looking at them one by one. An eerie silence crept about them, adding to the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks. Suddenly, Kyriel's eyes turned into a chocolate dark brown and her straight black hair slightly curled. Corie felt as if she was looking at someone else entirely. 

"Kyriel!" shouted Corie, putting her hands on Kyriel's shoulders, shaking her from her trance. "Come on! It's Corie, here!" 

"She's dazed…" muttered Lute. "We have to take her inside…" 

"No! She'll snap out of it, I'm sure! She always does this!" 

Corie let out a gasp as Kyriel's eyes suddenly turned white, her hair turned back to its original form, and a loud suffocating noise escaped from Kyriel's lips. She tried her best to take in air from around her, to simply breathe. Kyriel's knees suddenly buckled benath her, her whole body turning limp, as her eyelids fluttered to a close and fell conveniently into Max's arms. 

"She's alright… she's okay… she'll be fine, don't worry…" said Lute, looking down at Kyriel with concern. "Come on, Max, let's…" 

But nobody listened to Lute's ramblings. A small silver outline stood right before Corie, the outline of a person. Although Corie could see its face, arms, and hands – everything that made up a person, she could still see right through him. 

"It's a spirit," said Max, holding Kyriel in his arms. "He's tried to take her over…" 

The spirit looked at his hands, his eyes wide with fright and his breathing slightly staggered. He turned his gaze towards Kyriel, the girl that he had occupied only a few minutes ago. His eyes turned into two thin slits as he looked at the people before him, his face full of confusion. His emotion built up against him, his body slowly trembling from what had just happened. 

"I… I… I didn't do anything to her…" 

With that, the spirit vanished quickly into thin air, leaving them dumbfounded. 

~*~

**Shout-outs**

Socks Meyers: *nod* yup, it sank! thanks for the review! ^^ 

Irish Rain: Aw, thanks! ^^ It took me forever to get this up, so hopefully you'll like it even more! 

Eire: No editing mistakes? That's good then - I usually have some lying around here and there. :P Hahah, awesomeness! I like how that sounds! As for the characters, I didn't make any of them - they all replied to the CC. Really, i can't come up with characters either! 

Written Sparks: hehhe, yesh, your two characters are in it - but i WILL have the do more things in the ff! 

geometrygal: tsk tsk, look what you did! hahah, jk - more about how the ship sank will come eventually. 

klover: aw, that's alright. technology can be sometimes a good or bad thing - too bad we rely on it too much. :P i can't imagine a place without computers. i'd have nothing to do! 

justduck: hey duckie! *glomp* hmm, you'll see! 10dames will be takin' a while to update... still thinkin' of what to do next. 

Inquisitive: haha, you asked for more, here ya have it! 

sheengale: hey beena! wow, i was surprised that you reviewed my ff! it came outta nowhere! haha, thanks anyways. keep on updating your ff too, okay? 

Frenchygoil: i know, poor specs! :( hahah, but he'll cope. are you asking if connor is an animal? if you are, then yes, he is. hahah, frenchy you have so many questions! but that's a good thing! lol. you never stop to question, don't you? anyways, peter pan sitll hasn't come out over there? you have to watch it, really! its so cute! the movie and peter pan, both. lol. 

Blaze Lanigan: ack, true. thanks. but i'm slowly beginning to get everything down to who's who and what. ^^ 

Cards: lol, thanks! hahah! *mumbles* i'se writing... i'se writing...

Strider: *glomp* i'm so sorry!!! *mumble* i wuff you. but look! *points at top of chapter* its you! hahaha! that's what writing late at night gets me. :P

Cat: y'know, greek mythology is actually my inspiration of where i'm getting some of my ideas - especially since i'm taking that class this semester. funny, huh? but it won't be so much like it that you'll recognize what's going on. this is ershey mythology for you. 


	6. different

*bounces* i updated! oh my goodness, i'm so sorry for the long delay about this... i know its been WEEKS since i updated, but i've just been so busy with school and rehearsals and all the drama that's added on it... blargh. but i finally got to write! we have a three day weekend, and hardly any homework for us to do. that, and i'm inspired. ^^ my muses are comin' back! 

~*~ 

**Different**

~*~ 

The sickly sweet feeling of sweat and blood circulated about the small hut among many others. It was already nighttime, hours had passed after the events of the sinking of the Ambassador. It was still a sight to behold. Everybody was still in awe, knowing that the ship that had always shown an evidence of the magnificent and modern world was gone. 

Christine sighed and continued to examine the silvery smooth blade that she had only acquired days ago. She had been a warrior all her life, from the minute she was born until the day that she would leave this island. Being one of the youngest warriors in their group, with the exception of Rain's little brother, Tumbler, Christine was still getting used to the habits and ways of their people. 

They had always been told that they were different. Different from the natives living on this island. Different from the creatures that roamed the lush jungles. Different from the elites that had come here every month. It had been forever drilled into their brains, becoming a part of their body and souls. They were warriors. People who fought for the likes of it. Their purpose for fighting was forever forgotten, knowing full well that their ancestors had fought for a perilous war decades ago, but that feeling of pride and hope had dissolved. The natives and creatures looked upon them as savages, enjoying their hands work and priding in its glory. Christine hated it. 

She glanced up from the blade, checking to see how well the boy was doing. It had been news that Rain had found somebody washed up on the island. Although that wasn't what surprised the group of warriors, it was the fact that they had brought him back to their grounds. It was a rule, something sacred, that no outsiders were to be brought inside, or else knowing their location. They were supposed to be stealthy and sneaky along with gruesome and fierce. They knew it was a tough combination, but they went along with it with no worries. 

Christine wrinkled her nose, the smell of sweat, sand, and blood still strong. Although she can usually be found in a happy and chirpy mood, Christine found herself feeling annoyed. It was late into the night and the sound of the chatter and scraping of blades called her outside. Instead, she was stuck inside the spare hut they had made for emergencies watching a sleeping boy. 

She put her blade down slowly, and walked up to him, trying her best not to create any sound as to waking him up. They wouldn't know how to respond to his reaction. Especially since nobody knew where he came from or who or _what_ he even is. It was impossible to say. 

The boy stirred in his sleep, gashes were still upon his face, his skin laid with dirt and sand. Carefully, taking the rags placed near the edge of the cot, she mopped his head. She knew that he was feeling physical pain. She had seen enough of that to make sure. He grimaced, his eyes still closed, his mouth set into a thin line as she tried her best not to inflict pain. 

She set the rag down on the floor, taking her eyes off the boy. For once, she was feeling better. She didn't know whether it was the boy or the task she was doing, but a new sense of feeling came over her. She smiled, mostly to herself, thinking that for once, she wasn't acting like a warrior. 

Wiping her hands on the sides of her torn pants, her green eyes traveled back to the face of the boy. She gave a small squeak as she jumped back from her position, causing her to fall painfully on the floor of the hut. Minutes before he was asleep, but now his black eyes were roaming about the hut. His face was filled with fright and shock though he remained still in his cot, unmoving. 

Christine gathered herself, her heart still beating fast as she took a seat on the edge of the cot once again. Unaware of what to say, she let him gather all of it in, letting silence reign. 

"What…" muttered the boy. "Where… am I?" 

"You're safe… don't worry about it," said Christine with an unknowing smile she had never showed anybody before. She felt as if she wasn't a warrior to him. She felt like she can be herself. 

"But… I… I was on the ship, and…" continued the boy as he rubbed his eyes and sighed. 

"You were on the ship? You mean, the Ambassador?" asked Christine in full shock. 

"I, er… yeah…" 

Christine stood up, not knowing whether to keep this to herself or tell the group. They had an _elite_ on their hands. If it was an inhabitant of the island, that would've been different. They could've just helped him and let him go on his way. But this was different. A different type of person in a different type of situation. 

"Is that a bad thing?" croaked the boy, trying to sit up painfully. 

Seeing that he was in pain, Christine walked over to him, and helped him sit up as she let him lean against the wall of the hut. She looked at him carefully, still wincing in pain as she thought out what she should do. This boy couldn't create that much harm, can he? If she were to say he was an elite, he would be gone in a flash. In an odd sort of way, Christine felt a connection towards him. Not the kind of love connection that people usually mistake for, but something different. Christine found herself at a loss for words. 

"I guess it is then?" 

"It's hard to explain… we're not exactly the friendliest type of people you'd like to meet." 

"But… you're friendly. You're helping me." 

"No…" muttered Christine, remembering that she had been forced to do her task. "They could kill you because of hate or release you to the natives out of fear." 

Christine felt his body tense up when she had uttered her words. She didn't want to lie, which was a hard thing to do. The things that went on this island were indescribable and sometimes happened for no reason at all. 

"So… that's bad…" 

"Yes," said Christine, taking the rags into her hands and dipping it into the cool fresh water basin placed next to the bed. 

"But if I'm not an elite…" said the boy, finally catching on. 

"You'd be better off." 

She continued dabbing the rags on his skin, cleaning him up for the time when he would be presented to Shawn Gonzalvo, the leader of the warriors. She kept her eyes on her task, not looking at his face. She wanted him to make his own choice. Run or stay. She didn't want to enforce anything upon him, although she knew she wanted him to stay. 

"So, what do I have to do?" 

Christine looked up at him, a spark burning in her eyes, and a true smile of happiness enveloping her face. 

~*~ 

"Come on, my honeys, the feast is tonight and you know that Andross wants it to be perfect!" said Adele as she walked through the rows of tables set up in the kitchen. 

The elites were always given a feast on the day of their arrival, even though it meant that their ship sank, but it was a custom that was not meant to be broken. The clatter of scraping, cooking, boiling, cutting traveled throughout the kitchen quarters. Natives were running here and there, doing their task and making sure that they would be done within an hour. 

"Stupid Andross…" mumbled Sparks, wiping the back of her hand on her forehead. Her straight blonde hair was tied up into a messy bun, with strays of hair falling on the corners of her face. Her hands were covered with coconut juice and oil. "Making us slave away in here…" 

"No talking!" shouted Adele, clapping her hands as she urged the girls on. 

Riley rolled her eyes and cut another banana in two pieces. "Come on, Adele, you always say that and you always let us talk when we work. We know you too well!" 

Adele smiled at the girls, her eyes sparkling. Nobody knew what the reason Adele had for working under Andross. To the natives, he was an unruly and selfish man. For years he had took control of their island, shaping its ways and cultures to make it into what it had become. He had used them as pawns to get what he wanted, to get his money and the only beautiful standing house that could be found on the island. They knew he didn't care what they thought or felt, but as long as the work was done, there would be no harm. 

"Yes, of course, and you know that I love you girls, but if Andross sees what's really going on…" 

"Don't worry about it, Adele. How long have we been doing this? Goodness, you're practically our big sister!" said Kaitlin behind the huge stack of fish next to her. 

"You wouldn't understand, girls…" muttered Adele seriously. 

They all turned their attention upon her, suddenly forgetting their cooking tasks and listening intently to what Adele had to say. They looked up to her, and she was the only mother figure that they had. Nobody looked after the natives, that was for sure, except for the authorities that walked about the grounds. The fact that adults hardly existed on the island didn't help any better. 

"Andross has power you couldn't imagine… which is why you had better continue working!" snapped Adele, her mood suddenly changing. She turned on her heel, red hair flowing behind her as she exited the kitchen quarters. 

The girls looked at each other, confused and puzzled by Adele's sudden change of mood. They knew Adele as the sunny person she was. She was hardly angry or huffed up after something so little. She was a strong person, and she fought for what she wanted, except for one thing, Andross. 

"Right…" said Riley, finally breaking the silence. "They wanted a feast, so they're going to get one!" 

"Shut your mouth, Riley," said Sparks, continuing with her task. "You've only cut one banana." 

"And there'll be many more!" 

"Why do fish have to smell?" whined Kaitlin as she took a step back from the pile of fish in front of her. 

"Blame the mermaids," muttered Sparks. 

~*~

Kyriel held onto the edges of the blanket that Liselle had given her only a few moments ago. She wrapped the blanket about her, giving her a bit of warmth and safety from the events that had happened before. Only a few hours ago, she had been safely sailing on the ship with a group of teenagers, just like herself towards the island of Costelos looking forward to the new world that they were to discover. Now, she couldn't help but feel scared. 

The others had filtered inside the room. It was a much bigger hut than the infirmary that they had occupied earlier. Their were desks, seats, and couches strewn everywhere. Kyriel took this to be where they were supposed to stay during their visit. Although it was much bigger and more elegant than the natives' houses, Kyriel couldn't help but think that she didn't feel safe. 

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Carlos, taking a seat next to Kyriel. 

"No, I'm not sure…" muttered Kyriel. "I mean… what happened to me? How did I get here? What was that… thing?" 

Carlos glanced about the room, unaware of what to say. Liselle was sitting across Kyriel and Carlos, her hand circled around Luis' arm. She had taken off work from the kitchen to tend the elites, giving her an excuse to skip the work she had been dreading and spend more time with Luis. Max shifted in his seat, as he looked uncertainly back at Carlos and Kyriel. 

"Spirits. That was a spirit," muttered Max, leaning forward to tell Kyriel. 

"Excuse me? Did I just hear what you said? A _spirit_?" said David, his eyes widening in shock and confusion as he kept a tight hold on Luke, who perked up from Max's comment. 

"There's spirits living here on this island?" said Luke in awe. 

"Max! What did you do?!" shouted Lute from the doorway, her hazel-green eyes piercing at the boy before her. She briskly walked over to the group and took a seat next to Max. "Elites aren't supposed to…" 

"Don't you think they've seen enough already? Goodness, who could've missed all those mermaids in the ocean?" 

"Are you talking about all those colors that we saw? Those were mermaids?" said Corie, taking another bite of sweet bread laid before them. 

"Wow!" exclaimed Luke enthusiastically. "What else is there?" 

"Luke!" barked David at his little brother. 

"What? It's better that we know now than finding out later!" 

"The boy's got a point," said Mark, finally joining the conversation. "What else are all of you hiding from us?" 

"We're not hiding anything from you," said Liselle towards Mark. "We're just making sure that our island is safe…" 

"Safe?!" shouted Mark, his face turning into a shade of red from the anger he had bottled up inside of him. "This island is nowhere _near_ safe! For goodness sakes, Kyriel could've died! Then there's still the fact that we haven't found Adam!" 

"There's a search going on right now for him. He shouldn't have strayed to far. This island isn't too huge. Besides, it just goes to show how much you know about this island," exclaimed Max. "Don't you see? The spirit saved her!" 

"Saved?" said Kyriel softly. "Saved me?" 

"We really don't know how spirits function. They're just there, like another part of the island. But the thing is, we can't really tell whether they're good or not. It really depends on the spirit…" said Lute, feeling calmer than before. 

"So Kyriel's spirit was a good spirit?" asked Corie. 

"I guess you can say that…" 

"But how can a spirit save her?" asked David. "It's just… unreal!" 

"There's a lot of unreal things on this island, Davey…" said Luis. "There's more to this island than you know." 

"Hold on… so, are you saying that the spirit saved me from… dying?" said Kyriel. 

"In a way, yes," said Lute, nodding. "He took over your soul just for a moment… meaning he had control of your body. He could practically live in there for months without you knowing it…" 

"Oh my goodness…" muttered Corie. 

"But he left… he left me…" 

"Which is a really good thing or else we wouldn't have found you." 

"How do you know so much about these things?" said David tauntingly. "How do you know about spirits and what they could do?!" 

"We told you, spirits aren't exactly bad or good. Natives can talk to spirits when we want to… they're almost like a direct link to the gods," said Carlos. 

"Gods?" 

Carlos nodded, glancing at the group of elites before him. He could tell that it would be a lot to take in, especially after the sinking of their boat. They never had to face this type of problem before when the elites came. They arrived, stayed, and left. They had no knowledge about the other creatures roaming about the island. Simple as that. But this wasn't simple at all. There would be a lot of explaining to do. A lot of showing and proving to them. 

The elites knew that they came from a modern world, more modern from Costelos, but they needed to learn things from Costelos all the same. It wasn't just an island filled with people working for the big boss. It's history created what it is today. It created the different groups and races that walked about the island. 

"Are you sure you want to hear this? Hear everything?" asked Lute carefully. "We may not know much about what happened on the island, but we know enough." 

"I'm sure," said Mark, anger and confidence shown on his face. 

"I'm listening…" said Corie, nodding. 

"Alright then," said Lute, with a nod. "There's about four or five groups that live on this island…" 

~*~ 

The feast was starting. The sound of the crackling fire, the smell of the delicious food that the natives had made, the cheerful songs and dances that filled the air, and the colorful dresses and outfits that everybody wore amazed all the senses. There was no doubt that the feast had no intentions of ending. 

Kevin Brady looked up from the tiny tattered book that he was holding, his ears straining to figure out where the sounds of the feast came from. He sighed, flickers of light shadowing his face from the small fire that was made for his reading that night. He couldn't help but feel drawn to the excitement and energy that the natives had planned for the elites. Every year they would have it and every year, he would have the feeling of exhilaration. All he wanted to do was walk up and go. 

But it wasn't that easy. The feast was for the _elites_ by the _natives_. The word warriors didn't fit in there anywhere. Kevin shook his head and looked back down at the book that he was reading. Stories about love, fantasy, monsters, and sword fighting filled the pages of the book but his head and heart wasn't in it. This book, stolen by him only a few days ago, was made by the natives. These were the people the warriors abhor. The natives had made them what they were, savages. But Kevin couldn't help but think how wonderful their world might be. 

His thoughts swirled about him as he hid the book in his hiding place, a small opening inside a barren old log. He took a step forward towards the trees and bushes that surrounding him, his head poking here and there hoping to find the activity that was going on. Leaves and stems of the plants that surrounded him grazed his face, blocking his way towards what he really wanted to see. 

Using his hand, he pushed a cluster of leaves from his face and saw what seemed to be the greatest thing in the world. The natives were dressed in their costumes of color, of red, green, orange, yellow, and blue. There were several of them clamoring around as they served the elites and made sure that everything was in place. Other natives, however, were performing for the elites, singing and dancing to the beat of the island's music. 

He weighed his odds. He had to admit, he was younger and smaller than most of the natives, although he did see a bunch of boys the same age as he not too far away. Being a warrior, he knew how to go unnoticed through an event. He looked down at his outfit, the colors of dark green and brown, making him shift along with the background of the jungle. Although, if the natives did spot him and Rain was to find out, it was a night to remember. 

Spotting the boys the same age as him over at a far corner, huddled together in a circle, Kevin nodded. That was where he would go. There were so many things going on that nobody took notice of the little boy that took a step out of the jungle and bravely walked through the middle of the feast, his eyes burning with anticipation. 

"Ah, so you want to listen to another island story, eh?" asked an old man, his eyes filled with happiness and laughter, his face outlined by the smile that he worn upon his face. 

The kids nodded about him, eager to hear another one. Seeing as how nobody took notice of him and blamed him of any trouble, Kevin took a seat down on the grassy ground, his ears perked up and waiting reluctantly for the story to begin. 

"Make it a scary story, Danny!" shouted a native boy. 

"No! How about a love story?" shouted a girl. 

"Fighting!" 

"Monsters!" 

"Alright, alright, calm down," said Dan Strattman, smiling at the children before him as he tried his best to quiet them. "How about a combination of all of them, eh?" 

Sounds of cheers and agreement flooded throughout the tiny group as Dan nodded at them knowingly and started his story. 

"Back then, even before your parents were alive, there was a girl and a boy. They never knew about each other, because of the different groups that their family had belonged to. Not only that, but they were different from each other. They weren't exactly the same. The girl was very beautiful and loved by everyone. The gods, however, that lived in the clouds thought that that was beauty beyond itself. They wanted to preserve it forever by making her a spirit." 

"A spirit?" asked one of the native children. 

Dan nodded and continued, "She was close to a god, able to change into human form when she wanted to. But everything changed. People distrusted her form. She had the ability to do so many things that her family was scared of what she was able to do. They didn't want something so dangerous to the family. So she left. She wandered around the island, humming a mysterious tune, and wishing that she was never a spirit." 

"That's so sad…" 

"Is that all?" 

Dan shook his head and said, "Don't worry, my boy, there's more. The other boy was also different, like I said before. His kind was hated and isolated in the depths of the jungle. They were prowlers, able to shift into an animal form. But this didn't stop the boy. He was known as the mischief-maker of the bunch. One night, when he was walking through the jungle towards his family, he saw a mist near the bushes…" 

"Ooh!" shouted the girl from before. "I bet you that's the spirit girl!" 

"Hey! You're going to ruin it!" 

"That's right, he found the spirit girl. They ended up falling in love with each other, despite what they were. It didn't take long for the boy's family to find out what he had been up to. Prowlers were very sneaky. They ended up killing the boy. The gods were so angry by what the girl did that they froze her soul and buried her into the depths of the sea. The next day, the sea turned into a dark red from the girl's love for the boy." 

"Geez…" 

"But the story's not finished," smiled Dan slyly. "What they didn't know was that the couple had left something that nobody had ever discovered or learned about. They kept it in hiding and made sure that no one ever found it." 

"It? What is _it_?" 

"More like a _who is it_?" said Dan. "They had a baby girl, Alisa. Made by her parents, she was half spirit and half prowler. She had beautiful light brown hair with blonde highlights from her father and icy blue eyes from her mother. They kept her in the middle of the jungle, inside a cave protected by magic." 

"So nobody found her?" 

"Nope… not one single person. But if anybody did, that person would most likely be a boy." 

"A boy? Why?" 

"Alisa's mother hummed when she walked about the island when she was alive. In turn, Alisa had her mother's song etched into her mind and sang it every night. It was the same song that drew her father to Alisa's mother. A sort of call to all the males in the island." 

"But is she dangerous?" 

"No one really knows… but she could be. People have ventured into the forest without coming back, possibly finding Alisa's cave. But people have come to call her one thing…" 

"What's that?" 

"The temptress." 

~*~ 

Adam knew he shouldn't have strayed too far from Christine. The grounds of the warriors were so huge that Adam couldn't even begin to imagine how many of them lived on the island. He just needed a drink of water and being the person that he was, lost his way. 

He neared towards a small cave, covered by vines and shrubbery, flower sprouting on the ground. Curiosity took him as he took a step forward and squinted through the darkness. His eyes widened as he made out an outline from the inside of the cave. 

A pair of ice-blue eyes stared back at him, the outline of the body silvery and flowing. It's hair changed from a dark brown to blonde, as Adam stood frozen to the spot. It seemed as if the girl, or the outline of the girl, was flowing against the wind, though she still stayed in one point. Staring at him through the darkness. She gave a small smile. Not a smile of welcoming or happiness. But a sly smile. A mysterious smile Adam couldn't decipher. 

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her eyes once again and smiled at Adam, then opened her mouth to begin her song. 

~*~

**A/N: **I added more characters since I needed authority on the island. (look at the character page, i'll also put it up here if it doesn't show up there). Gods & Spirits will be featured in the next chapter along with other groups. 

OTHERS 

Philip Andross – Pulitzer 

Roland Bossworth - Hearst 

Dan Strattman - Kloppman 

Eric Weasley – Weisel 

Adele Strousse - Medda

~*~ 

**Shout-outs**

Inquisitive: aw, thanks! so sorry about the late update though! :( 

Socks Myers: hmm, alright, maybe i'll let you be friends with connor. *shrug* we'll see. ^^ hahah, and thanks for the congrats about the ball! goodness, i had so much fun! i was all smiles that night! 

geometrygal: *points suspiciously* yes you did! i blame you! hahahha, i'm just joking. love ya, honey. 

Eire: *glomps* i haven't talked to you for a while! well, i did, only with kyriel, but still. ^^ hahha. i hope everything's going alright with ya... ooh, and hope you like this update! ^^ 

Written Sparks: you get cookies just for that. ^^ thankies! 

JustDuck: *nod* don't you just love nifty things? ooh, that'll be my new word! nifty nifty nifty! 

Frenchygoil: oh hey, how did watching peter pan go? i really like that movie... it was so cute. (erm, especially peter pan himself!) yesh, also updated 10dames a few days ago! ^^ 

azn-kimmi: hahahha! kimberly... lol, you're scary sometimes, y'know? aw, just joking. don't worry... the gods will be coming up soon. *wink* 

sheengale: its sheena beena! yeah, i tend to write more descriptions than dialogue... which can get pretty annoying sometimes since it takes me forever to get to the point. :P but i'm working on it! 

Cerridwen4: lmao! he was wearing a red dress? that's an image. my date wore a pink shirt to match my black/pink dress. heheheh. ^^ 

Kyriel: *death pokes* i updated! ha! *hides mookies* my mookies. and WHEN are we going to make mookies? (cookies and muffins...) we also hafta figure out what to do for 'Just Click Your Heels'. *pokes* 

Cat: I'm so sorry for the delay! i was mostly busy from school and all that's going on over here, which is why it took me forever to update. i hope you like this chapter! 


	7. meetings

*bounces* i udpated! whoot! ^^ hopefully the next few chapters won't come as late as these do... i've had rehearsals for my trip to NY with the school's glee club, and in two days we're going! we're going to be in NY for at least a week and we're going to see plays and all that! ack, i'm so excited. ^^ anyways... another long chapter... lol. hope ya like! 

~*~

Meetings

~*~

Florian narrowed his dark brown eyes as he flowed through the passing natives through the streets of Costelos. The town was busy and they had been working hard to keep everything back in place from the chaos that had reigned only a few days ago. He groaned, squinting his eyes shut, as he continued through the crowd. The ache in his head multiplied when he saw more and more people come towards him. He cursed inwardly. That was one of the downsides in being a spirit. You could hear everybody. Everybody's thoughts and everybody's feelings. It was complicated, that was for sure, but it was something they had to put up with. The actions and feelings that all the creatures went through passed through their head. Yes, creatures. Not only natives, but also everybody on Costelos. They all had souls, didn't they? 

_So why didn't anybody hear what the spirits were thinking? We still have souls, don't we?_

These questions forever haunted Florian ever since he had become a spirit. He never asked to be one. He never wanted to be one, although they fascinated him. He couldn't help but admit that he brought it upon himself. He could've just went along with his usual daily schedule as just another native of Costelos, but the thoughts in his head just couldn't help but keep on asking questions. 

Curious, that's what his nature was, and that's what led him into the form that he would stay in for all eternity. He asked about the outside world. He asked about the gods. He asked about the authorities. He asked about how they came to be. But most of all, he asked why. Why things had gotten to be what they are now. 

He was on the brink of it. The answer was on his fingertips, but it easily drifted away just as sand drifted through his fingers. Not that he had fingers anymore. He was just another transparent figure in the dark. Only his outlines made him what he is. 

There was a war. That was all he knew. But what had happened? 

Numerous amounts of thoughts and wishes flew into his head as he continued walking. Flying past the town, Florian traveled through the jungles of Costelos, its vines circling the trees that had stood strong all those years. He suddenly felt a tingle upon the upper right corner of his forehead. A quick jolt of pain seared through his body, but as quick as it came, it was suddenly gone. Florian sighed. The gods were calling. 

He turned his eyes towards the sky, the clouds drifting to and fro, creating images for children to adore. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, and thought of the house of the gods, Langhet. 

"About time. We've called you too many times to count…" 

Florian opened his eyes to see Carmichael and Smith, two of the gods that reigned over Langhet. Carmichael, the male god, sat luxuriously in his armchair as he looked over Florian. He had grown to have a distinct hate for him, although he could do nothing about it. It was he, who made him into a spirit for eternity, working to serve the gods and the natives. 

"I'm still not used to the voices… there's just too much that I can't--." 

"You have to concentrate," said Carmichael, narrowing his eyes as he said each word sternly. 

"John, you're being too rough on your spirits. Florian is new, and he'll get used to it eventually," exclaimed Smith, the female god, her wavy black hair that flitted about the corners of her face. Her black eyes glittered at Florian. Carmichael sighed and glanced at Smith. 

Another question sparked inside his brain. Florian still had no idea why the gods insisted to be called upon their last names although they called each other by their first names. 

"That's 'cause we're much more superior beings than you, Florian," said Carmichael slyly. 

His eyes widened as he looked at the male god before him. He wasn't expecting that. 

"Stop scaring him, John," said Smith, then turning towards Florian. "You were bound to know eventually, but we have the ability to tap into your thoughts, even though we may not want to. Although we have the power to control it." 

"Yes, control. That's what you have to learn." 

Florian sighed. He was a new spirit, he had to admit that, and he was still trying his best to get used to the new ways of the spirits. He always thought that it was fascinating how the spirits could interact with the gods, but now he thought otherwise. He soon realized that it was a lot of hard work. That, and the gods depended on them solely on what the creatures of Costelos wished and wanted. The gods had the power, after all, to change things around. 

He opened his mouth to protest but was suddenly interrupted when the third god stepped forward from the shadows, his face flustered in fury and his blonde hair glistening more than ever. 

"BRADFORD!" 

"Something's wrong, can you feel that?" said Smith, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Carmichael. 

"He shouldn't have done that…" muttered Carmichael, his eyes looking out into the great sky. 

"That spirit…" muttered the third god. "That spirit's been with us for decades and he still has the nerve to take over somebody's body. An elite, for crying out loud!" 

"Calm down, Callahan," said Carmichael. "I have a feeling there's more to this story…" 

"Call him," exclaimed Smith. 

Florian kept his mouth shut throughout the whole ordeal, questions flitting about his head. Bradford. The name was familiar to him. He was one of the middle-aged spirits that lived about the island. They simply called him Bradford, no last name whatsoever. That was the way things were. He was known to have killed his parents' friend out of revenge, the reason on why he had been sentenced as a spirit. Not only that, but he had a reputation of having a soft spot every now and then. Bradford was a tough person to read. 

With a flash, Bradford's outline appeared in front of the gods, and Florian as well. Standing much higher than Florian, Bradford looked as if he could've been a giant. A mop of dark curly hair stood on his head as his brown eyes stared at the gods lazily. 

"How may I serve you today?" asked Brad, putting his hand over his mouth as he yawned lazily. 

"No need to be sarcastic right now, Bradford," said Smith, eyeing the spirit. "We have things to discuss." 

"Things that you have been doing lately," said Callahan angrily. 

"What? You mean when I scared that old lady? It was just a joke for crying out--." 

"YOU TOOK OVER A HUMAN'S BODY! A LIVING BREATHING HUMAN! WHAT'S WORSE, IT WAS AN ELITE!" continued Callahan. 

Florian took a step back, shocked by the god's rage and anger. He turned his eyes towards Brad, who kept his frame and stared back at the three gods. 

"You know it's been frowned upon. Spirits have done it before and now we have rules against it. Now, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Callahan, sounding a bit like a schoolteacher. 

"I say… that you should consider things before punishing me…" 

"Excuse me?" said Callahan, stepping forward and looking Bradford in the eye. "Consider things?" 

"Hold on… the boy has a point here…" said Carmichael, standing up from his position on the armchair and laying a hand on Callahan's shoulder to stop him from advancing any more. "Why _did_ you take over that girl's body?" 

Bradford's eyes darted between Carmichael and Callahan. He knew these two gods had power beyond belief and he didn't want to see them forcing their wrath upon him. Smith, however, was always the kind one. It wasn't a surprise that more spirits looked up to her than the others. 

"Yes, she was an elite," said Brad. "And she was washed up on the beach miles away from the local town." 

"We heard about the Ambassador…" said Smith from behind the boys. 

Carmichael nodded and said, "Tell us something we don't know…" 

Bradford opened his mouth to answer, but Callahan rolled his eyes and uttered, "Please don't tell me you've gone soft again. Every so often you always do this. Almost every two years. It's a pattern and we're used to it. We usually don't bother, but it's an elite, and it's different!" 

"I see…" said Smith, walking over to the group, assuming authority and looked at Bradford. "You may leave. You may _all_ leave." 

Florian and Bradford stood rooted to the spot, shocked from Smith's sudden outburst. 

"But Alexis, that wasn't supposed to be the end of the--." 

Smith sighed and flicked her hand in the air, causing Callahan's mouth to shut tightly closed. 

"What the boy did was understanding and a good thing. That, and I also think it's incredibly sweet." 

"Sweet?!" exclaimed Carmichael, but suddenly took a step back when he saw Smith raise her hand in the air. 

"I guess it's time for us to fly, don't you think so?" said Bradford, arching his eyebrow towards Florian as they disappeared within the gaps of the clouds. 

Florian smiled inwardly towards himself. He had escaped the gods for one day, thanks to Bradford. The mermaid's thoughts and wishes for the gods were going to have to wait for another time. 

~*~ 

Rays of sunshine glittered throughout the ocean, giving the three mermaids just enough light that they need to continue their task. Lady pushed back her golden brown hair from her face, squinting to look at the Ambassador much clearer than usual. It wasn't their fault and they all knew it. For some unknown reason, the Ambassador sunk into the ocean the exact same day they were to show their tricks to the Elites. They were just going to play with their heads, that was for sure, but they were sure that they didn't want to bring any harm towards them. 

"Nothing," muttered Brittany, shaking her head and motioning for the two other mermaids to move upwards. They had been underwater for nearly two hours or so, circling and observing the ship for any signs of its sinking. Perched conveniently between two huge rocks of coral and reef, the mermaids took their time into making sure that there wasn't even one inch of the ship that they had missed. 

Lady opened her mouth to take in a breath of air as they appeared upon the surface of the ocean. Waiting for the other girls, Lady looked about the beach, seeing the movement of two creatures, a human and a wolf. No doubt they were Prowlers, thought Lady. She furrowed her brow as she suddenly saw flash of pink and orange not far from the shore. 

"Come on, Lady," said Cassandra, patting her friend on the shoulder. "We're going to have to go and tell the others about the Ambassador." 

"Oh, um, alright," answered Lady dumbly. She swam back under the water, remembering Irish and Kathryne talk about the meeting that they were to have in a few minutes. But her mind currently dwelled on what she had just saw on the beach. She knew who had the colors of pink and orange from their group. It wasn't hard to tell. 

_But what was she doing with them?_ The question revolved around her thoughts as they neared the cove from where they were supposed to meet. Mermaids and Prowlers weren't usually associated. Sighing, Lady pushed her thoughts in the back of her head as they took their positions around the cove. 

Karthryne sat boldly on the rocks, her eyes scanning the area for any of the other mermaids to come. Seeing the others, she quickly nudged Irish, who seemed not at all attentive as she played around with the fish that twirled about her fingers. 

"Right, so, we'll--." 

"Calm down, Irish, Audrey isn't even here yet," interrupted Karthryne immediately. Lady raised her eyebrow. Audrey. She was the only mermaid who had the colors of pink and orange. 

"Did anyone even bother to tell her?" asked Brittany. "I haven't heard from her lately since the Ambassador sunk…" 

Lady and Cassandra exchanged glances. It had only been a day since the Ambassador sunk and no sign of Audrey had appeared since then. The two of them, both Lady and Cassandra, had freely taken the responsibility of keeping it from the others, knowing full well that they would burst into suspicions and worry. They had searched the ocean for her, hoping that they would find her but failed. It was only that day that Lady had seen any sign of Audrey. 

"Don't worry," answered Cassandra quickly. "I told her… she said she might come a bit late." 

"What's with her lately?" asked Karthryne. "She's been a bit distant--." 

"I'm here!" shouted Audrey, appearing on the surface of the water and moving next to Cassandra's side. "Sorry about that. Swimming from a shark can be a bit tricky sometimes." 

"Is that the reason for the scratches and bruises?" questioned Brittany slowly. 

"Bruises?" asked Audrey. "Oh! You mean these? Yeah… those sharks are vicious…" 

"You didn't get badly hurt, did you?" asked Irish, looking at Audrey suspiciously. "You should really watch out for yourself here in these waters…" 

"Don't worry about it," answered Audrey. "Scratches, that's all." 

Lady and Cassandra looked at Audrey, giving her a look that meant _we'll talk later _before turning back to Irish and Karthryne's announcements for that day. Audrey gave an unsure smile as she slumped in her seat and pointed at Irish, showing the others that it was time to listen. 

"Alright, since everyone's here now…" started Irish. "We can start our meeting…" 

"Girls," piped Karthryne. "Did you find anything on the Ambassador?" 

"Nothing," muttered Lady. "Nothing wrong at all with it. It looks just the same as it was when it was above water, only this time without anyone in it." 

"Unless you count the… erm, dead bodies that it brought down with it," cringed Brittany. "Other than that, you'd think that it was made underwater." 

"Are you sure?" asked Karthryne. "The Ambassador couldn't have sunk at all on its own! We're doing this so that we can make clear that we have not done any harm to the Elites. So that people would--." 

"Since when did we care what other people think?" snapped Irish, obviously in a grumpy mood. "We've done what we've wanted for as long as I can remember and we've let the natives and the other creatures roaming about Costelos think what they want." 

Silence reigned for a moment as Irish glared at the mermaids. Nobody could deny that what Irish said was true. Just because the Ambassador sank didn't mean that the mermaids had to change their ways. Even though they were getting a much worse reputation that they already had, the mermaids still continued on with their everyday lives. But they couldn't help but think that what had happened only a few days ago was something that could affect everybody on the island. 

"Let's make this quick," continued Irish, her voice tense and serious. "We all know we want to be somewhere else right now, don't we?" 

"Yes, Irish, but--." 

"Hold on," interrupted Irish, raising a hand towards Karthryne. "Why don't we restrict talking or even interacting with the other races for now? Especially the natives and the prowlers…" 

Lady turned her attention to Audrey slightly, noting her actions as Audrey's eyes slightly widening from the news, but still keeping her posture. 

"Now, the spirits… we're still not too sure about that since they can just go fly up to the gods whenever they want to. I'm not saying that we should avoid them, but just… caution yourselves. But the natives and the prowlers…" muttered Irish, lowering her voice, showing bitter detestation. "You can never be too sure." 

"Right…" mumbled Karthryne, unsure of how to handle the current situation. "Meeting's… over?" 

"Meeting's over," nodded Irish as she slid off the rock she had been currently sitting on and dove into the water, taking no note of the stunned faces of the mermaids. 

It had been a long day, and Irish wanted some space for herself. Not that the ocean wasn't big enough for the mermaids, but there were just some times when being a mermaid didn't seem enough for herself. Yes, she was leader of them all, and there were some conveniences that came with that. 

Irish fingered the corals and reefs as she swam beneath the ocean towards no exact destination. She wanted to swim, that was all. Those were one of her joys. One of the reasons she loved being a mermaid. But despite the calm feeling that was about to take over, she couldn't help but think of what had just happened at their meeting. The Ambassador sank all on it's own. That wasn't possible. Was it? There were many things on Costelos that nobody understood. 

What puzzled her even more was her sudden burst of shouting at the mermaids. She had just restricted their interaction with the other races. Not that they weren't already doing that, but she wanted to make it clear. But the spirits? Irish had told the others to caution themselves from the spirits. 

_But aren't they good? They're from heaven aren't they? _

She knew in her heart that she felt that something was wrong. Something different had landed on Costelos and it was disrupting the usual on goings. Nothing would ever be the same anymore.

Irish sighed as she continued on through the waters, silently making a message to the gods for guidance and help. 

~*~ 

"I still don't believe that you have one hazel eye and one light brown colored eye," said Inquisitive, otherwise known as Ink, in a lowered voice as she pushed back the leaves that covered her face with her hand to reveal the Prowlers' hideout. 

"I do!" retorted Whisper, stepping next to Ink to listen in on their conversation. "See? The other one's darker than the other!" 

Ink rolled her blue eyes at her friend, illustrating authority as she stood fully, showing that she was much taller than Whisper. "Just 'cause you're a spirit doesn't mean you have to make up all those things about your eyes being a different color!" 

"You know you have some hazel flecks in your eyes if you look _really closely_…" 

"Whisper!" 

"Hold on, shhh!" interrupted Whisper. "Something's happening…" 

"I don't see why we have to hide when they can't see us since we can--." 

Whisper sighed and clamped a hand over Ink's mouth to silence her. She had only been a spirit for a few months and was completely new to the transformations and rules that they all had to follow. Sure, it seemed amazing and extraordinary at first, but Whisper found that it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. She could've easily walked out of harm's way into being a spirit by sticking to her priorities. 

She had once needed to make a choice on what group of companions she wanted to be with. Her long time friends or her newly befriended comrades. One thing led to another: betrayal and lies, leading her to what she is now. Without the help of Inquisitive, Whisper would never have felt a part of their new world as a spirit. 

"You know I'm still not used to becoming invisible…" muttered Whisper. "Now, let's just watch…" 

"Strider!" came a shout from the clearing. "Why did you do that?! We could've just kept it to ourselves and there would be no worrying! Why did you have to tell Allen?" 

Strider groaned and looked at her friend, Juan. "He's not going to tell! Besides, not much is going to happen if Francis knows that we met a mermaid, right? He can't be _that_ uptight, can he?" 

"Shows how much you know!" retorted Juan. "You could've told Cat, I wouldn't have minded but… _Allen_?" 

"I'm only here, y'know!" shouted Allen behind Strider. "Besides, I have to right to know these things!" 

"Really?" asked Juan, raising his eyebrow. "You've caused enough trouble here with the Prowlers and if you go off and tell--." 

"Tell Francis? Is that what you think I'm going to do? For goodness sakes', Juan, you know me well enough that I hate Francis so much that I'm not even _willing_ to talk to the fool!" 

The two boys glared at each other for a moment, with Juan gritting his teeth to prevent himself from speaking anything offensive and with Allen openly glaring at Juan with no care at all. Strider glanced at the two boys, unsure of what to do. It wasn't until she saw Allen's hand slowly change into a paw when she reached out to grasp his hand and pull him away from Juan. 

"I don't want any fighting anymore… please…" pleaded Strider. "I know I should've told you that I told Allen, but really, Juan, I'm sure he won't tell." 

Juan turned his attention towards Strider, her hand still holding Allen's wrist to prevent him from moving. He sighed and ran his fingers through his curly brown hair, looking down on the ground then back up at Strider. He had no idea why he had asked her to come with him to venture out into the jungle to take a look at the Ambassador. She was known as the loner of the group, always keeping to herself. But Juan desperately needed to talk and spend time with someone. Maybe Strider wouldn't be too bad. 

"Alright," said Juan, nodding at Strider. "But this stays between us…" 

"Do we count too?" said Connor, stepping out from behind the bushes. Trailing behind him was a black panther, her eyes glancing between the two groups and showing excitement. 

"How long have the two of you been standing there?" asked Juan sternly. 

Allen looked upon the pair and smirked. "Cat, you'd think that you're never in your human form. You like being a prowler too much." 

"Ain't nothing wrong with that," smiled Connor, smiling. "Being a prowler can be fun!" 

"Sometimes," added Juan. 

"Aw, come on, Juan, why do you always got to be like this?" asked Cat, now in her human form. Her auburn hair was tucked behind her ears and her blue eyes glittered with excitement. No doubt Cat loved to be part of a fight. It was one of those things that made her a true prowler. The fact that she was loyal and caring towards the group and never stepped down from a good fight made her one of Francis' favorites, although she never came to admit that. 

"Juan's just a little grumpy today," teased Strider, pinching Juan's cheek. 

"Don't do that." 

"So what is it today?" asked Connor teasingly. "No food? No sleep? Can't shift? Too much grass for your taste?" 

In a flash, Juan shifted to his dog form, still keeping his physical features with his chocolate brown coat and dark brown eyes, as he pounced on Connor, causing the two of them to fall on the ground. 

"Not another fight…" muttered Sage, stepping out of the shadows. "We've had enough of that already circling around. Juan, will you please get off of Connor?" 

"Yes, please spare me the image…" said Francis, smirking as he ran his fingers through his light brown hair. 

Growling, Juan hesitantly stepped off of Connor, and stood next to Strider. 

"Don't worry, Sage," muttered Connor, standing up and wiping the dust off his pants. "We weren't fighting. Just having a bit of fun." 

"Knowing you all too well, why don't I believe that?" asked Sage, raising her eyebrow. 

" 'Cause you know you love us," teased Connor, wiggling his eyebrows at Sage. 

"Hey," countered Jack. "You got to know that just because you got a tan and all those muscles that you can't win all the ladies on this island, alright?" 

"Of course, I can't," smiled Connor. "Not without my winning smile!" 

"Maybe we should just send him off to the natives and make him their town pet," said Allen. 

"Alright, enough of this talk about Connor…" said Francis, glancing at Connor. "We have things to discuss." 

"Discuss? What is there to discuss? We just had a discussion this morning! What else is there to _discuss?_" muttered Cat. 

"Look, I--." 

"Yeah, Francis, what else is there to say?" asked Strider inquisitively. 

"Since y'all are so damn impatient, I'll just save the explanation and leave it to you in one sentence: We're going to have to associate with the mermaids, seeing as how we need each other, and there's nothing you can change about it." 

"But, Francis you haven't even talked to the mer--." 

"There's nothing you can change about it," said Francis sternly once more to emphasize the situation. 

"Geez," whispered Ink. "It's even worse than _our_ meetings…" 

~*~ 

"I'm stuck here… stuck on this itty bitty island…" muttered Mark as he trudged down the beach, waiting for his other companions to come. 

"Geez, Mark, you've been a real grouch lately," said Corie, coming up from beside him. 

"Aren't you supposed to be with Kyriel right now? Y'know, with the whole spirit situation and everything…" 

Corie rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "I just wanted to let you know that the equipment's been set up, or at least the ones that I've found from the sinking. There wasn't much, but at least we have enough tapes and videos to use for as long as we're staying here." 

"Are you sure it still works?" asked Mark, raising his eyebrow at Corie. "I wouldn't want to hand a story to them that's--." 

"Don't worry about it. Of course it will," smiled Corie. "Now as for getting home…" 

"That's something I'd like to do." 

"There's going to be a boat waiting for the two of us that's going to come a week from now… it won't be big and the only passengers it's taking are the two of us." 

"And the others?" 

"Not a word. They don't know a thing." 

"So… a week from now?" 

"Then another week after that, we'll be the most famous and rich reporters the world will ever know," nodded Corie, as she smiled mischievously and gazed out into the ocean.

~*~

**Shout-outs**

Azn-kimmi: wow, seems like forever when i think of songfest. lol, but anyways, we won! yeah! ooh, you're in this one! *points* see? 

Justduck: Ooh, hahah, i never thought of it that way! If you think about it... i haven't even watched the little mermaid in such a long time! :P Aw, thanks for the compliment. ^^ But i still have some characters to introduce... although everybody's already introduced in this chapter. Hope you liked this chapter! 

KyrielF: "Brad was didn't hurt you! He was helping you! AAH! I DIDN'T SAY THAT!" Hahaha, at least I'm not telling you anything about this ff this time, yeah? Hahah, yeah, good job Ersh. ^^ 

Inquisitive: Thanks! ^^ 

Cerridwen4: Yes! *pumps fist into the air* real men wear pink! ha! lol. Yeah, I kinda had a little trouble making up the story, but that's okay! It all worked out. ^^ heheh. see ya on AIM. 

Matchin' Laces: Heheh, thanks! Yeah, your first appearance! You'll slowly be appearing more and more in some of the chapters, so we'll see more of you! 

FrenchyGoil: Actually, it was part author's block and me being busy that kept me from writing this ff. But at least I found time, right? ^^ Hahah, yeah, and you get Mush again! Mermaid transformations? I already had an idea in my head... but the Peter Pan movie kind of helped me to think of what I actually wanted them to be, so I guess, kind of. 

geometrygal: Awww... *hugs* I wuff you! Hahaha, and when you're in it, it'll be EVEN better! *winks* 

klover: yeah, technology can be a pain sometimes. but you have overcome it! (okay, that was bad grammar...) :P

Socks Myers: Ack, sorry for the late update! After this chapter, the next chaps should get there much faster than usual. Aww, well, I know how you feel about that guy... grr... lol. But we'll live. *wink* 

electricxrain: Ooh, awesome! I really like that movie! *gasp* It's one of my favorites! Now if I can only teleport there and watch it with you... 


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